By Bob Masucci
Perhaps the biggest factor in determining how strong your association will be is the strength of your board of directors and its capacity for getting things done. Recruiting new board members is only step one. Once on board, they need to be integrated into the fold and begin to become productive as quickly as possible. Since your association doesn’t stop operations when a new regime comes on board, new members must hit the ground running.
If you were asked whether or not your board members were engaged, you’d probably arrive at a conclusion that some were and some were not. Additionally, you might discover that a member’s level of engagement correlates closely to his or her tenure on the board.
Truth is, many organizations have difficulty integrating new board members into operations. They tend to rely too much on longer-tenured members sometimes to the exclusion of newer members. It doesn’t need to be that way if you follow a few steps to get new members involved.
1. Off on the Right Foot
Make it easy for new members to come on board. Hold an orientation session not only to acquaint new members with their colleagues and association procedures, but also to share some of the key initiatives the board is undertaking and any issues or challenges they might be facing. Provide orientation materials. Include, among other things: current bylaws, previous year and current year-to-date financial statements, any other legal documents such as non-profit filings, minutes of board meetings from the past 12 months, list of standing and ad-hoc committees, and contact information for officers and other board members.
2. Make It Personal
Your new members are not plug-and-play components. They are real people, with families, personal goals, likes and dislikes. Learn about those. Also, make it a point to speak with new board members early and often. Learn the skills and talents they bring to your board and how you might best use those. The relationships formed between your officers, existing board members and your new board members are key to ensuring functional relationships and effective governance of your association as you move forward. Make sure those people spend time together socially at least a few times before the board gets down to real business. Maybe a Saturday morning breakfast once a month. Whatever it takes, be sure your new board members know the association and its board value them as people first, and then also as fully contributing members.
3. Put Them to Work — Immediately
You might be tempted to say, “She’s new. Let’s allow her some time to get adjusted.” Nothing could be more counterproductive. Impress upon new board members that you need their help, and you need it starting right now. Assign the board members some action items. If they feel uninvolved and believe their role is not critical to the association’s success, the new board members might be turned off. Another way to engage new members is to assign them to one of your key operating committees. That serves two purposes: (1) it provides an opportunity to get into the operations of the association, and (2) it provides the committee a convenient two-way venue to your board of directors. You might want to think about making a board member’s assignment “rotational” through several committees like Finance, Resolution and Bylaws, Public Relations, Training, etc.
4. Meet Your New ‘Buddy’
Being new to a board of directors for a non-profit association can be intimidating. One of the best ways to allay any fears or trepidations new members might have is to pair them up for a few months with a tenured board member. Your experienced member can help with assignments, help understand the historical context around discussions that might occur, and just be there to answer any questions. Like a mentor-mentee relationship, the experienced board member should be a carefully selected volunteer, and both parties share the responsibility for the winding down of the “buddy” relationship once it has achieved its purpose.
5. How’s It Going?
Make it a point to take a few moments after each meeting to speak to your new board members. See if they have any concerns or questions. Also ask how they thought the meeting went. Do they have any suggestions for improvement? Especially if during a meeting you sensed a distinct lack of participation or distraction, probe further. Determine if there was anything within your board’s sphere of influence that might have contributed to the distraction. You want to keep your new members involved and on the edge of their seats.
Bringing new board members to the table is an exciting time for all. We should be doing all in our power to avoid anything that might squelch that excitement. The best way to ensure that is to engage your new board members as quickly as possible into your association’s operations.
Bob Masucci is a longtime football official from Clinton Township, N.J., with more than 40 years of experience.
Loading ...
